AI manages your money: Artificial Intelligence may eventually replace your financial advisor, Forbes suggests. AI can already spot financial trends really fast, but it may eventually compete with the personal touch of a human advisor, the story says. “Because artificial intelligence learns so much faster than humans, it is simply a matter of time before […]

AI manages your money: Artificial Intelligence may eventually replace your financial advisor, Forbes suggests. AI can already spot financial trends really fast, but it may eventually compete with the personal touch of a human advisor, the story says. “Because artificial intelligence learns so much faster than humans, it is simply a matter of time before artificial intelligence can read human nuances and have an emotional intelligence quotient that exceeds those of most humans. When that happens, in the next few years, financial advisers will have a hard time competing based on personal relationships.”

Banning news: Russia has moved to ban what the government defines as fake news, joining several other countries headed in the same direction, the Boston Globe reports. A second law bans the publication of information showing disrespect to government bodies and officials. The fake news law allows fines of up to US$15,000.

Less fake, more news: Despite headlines about the spread of fake news during the 2016 U.S. elections, a majority of U.S. residents didn’t see fake news on social media, two recent studies suggest. On Twitter, fake news appeared on the feeds of just 1.1 percent of users, according to one study detailed in Science.

Another approach: Staying on the topic of fake news, the Microsoft Edge browser is taking a different approach than policymakers trying to outlaw it, TechCrunch reports. Microsoft’s mobile Edge browser now installs with a built-in fake news detector called NewsGuard.

Constant monitoring: Internet of Things devices should be constantly evaluated and scored for security, a Computer Weekly story suggests. IoT users have a right to know about vulnerabilities in devices they use, Barracuda Networks told the publication.

Blockchain loves AI: The two technologies are match made in heaven, Forbes says. While blockchain and AI have both been victims of massive hype, blockchain can help secure the data that AI runs on, the story says.

As champions of an open, globally-secure, and trusted Internet, International Data Privacy Day is a big deal around these parts. But making sure you’re able to share what you want, when you want, should be something the world stands for more than once a year. Every day should be Data Privacy Day. These days, it feels […]

But making sure you’re able to share what you want, when you want, should be something the world stands for more than once a year. Every day should be Data Privacy Day.

These days, it feels all too common to hear stories about policy or law enforcement officials trying to create backdoors into technologies like encryption. These backdoors could put our online security at risk.

Just a little over one month ago, Business Insider reported that smart home devices dominated Christmas 2018 sales on Amazon, while the Alexa app, which enables people to control those smart devices, was the most downloaded on Google Play and the Apple App store on Christmas Day.

As the Internet becomes more and more a part of our everyday lives, each of us can take actions to ensure that privacy and security are a top priority.

Let’s come together on Data Privacy Day to celebrate the possibilities an open, globally connected, trusted, and secure Internet brings. Here are ways you can help make it happen where you live:

EuropeIn addition to the Connect Smart tips from the Internet Society and Consumers International, the Internet Society France has started a working group dedicated to raising awareness of the security risks when using IoT devices. The IoT Working Group is part of a broader effort by the Internet Society to raise awareness of the security risks inherent in the use of IoT-connected devices. While the IoT Working Group is focused on France, the hope is the best practices it uncovers will feed into the work the rest of Europe is doing.

]]>93933https://d36wslfha9yaj0.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2019-data-privacy-day.jpgIn India, Days Left to Comment on Rules That Could Impact Your Privacyhttps://d36wslfha9yaj0.cloudfront.net/blog/2019/01/india-days-left-to-comment-rules-could-impact-your-privacy/
Mon, 28 Jan 2019 00:00:56 +0000https://www.internetsociety.org/?p=93972

The public has until 31 January to comment on a draft set of rules in India that could result in big changes to online security and privacy. The Indian government published the draft Information Technology [Intermediary Guidelines (Amendment) Rules] 2018, also known as the “Intermediary Rules” for public comment. When it comes to the Internet, intermediaries […]

The draft Intermediary Rules would change parts of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (the “IT Act”), which sets out the requirements intermediaries must meet to be shielded from liability for the activities of their users. The draft rules would also expand the requirements for all intermediaries, which are defined by the Indian government and include Internet service providers, cybercafés, online companies, social media platforms, and others. For example, all intermediaries would have to regularly notify users on content they shouldn’t share; make unlawful content traceable; and deploy automated tools to identify and disable unlawful information or content, among other new requirements.

Here’s some more background:

News reports are citing a number of concerns about the draft rules. Ours centers on their potential impact on the use of encryption.

Encryption is the process of scrambling or enciphering data so it can be read only by someone with the means to return it to its original state. End-to-end encryption is the most secure form of encryption available, in which only the sender and intended recipient can read the message.

Although you might not realize it, you rely on encryption every day. It protects you while you browse the web, shop online, use mobile banking, or use secure messaging apps.

By requiring the deployment of automated tools to identify and disable unlawful information or content on their platforms, the proposals in the draft Intermediary Rules could require intermediaries to break their end-to-end encryption or otherwise risk becoming liable for the activities of their users.

This weakens the technology meant to keep our private information private. That means it’s easier for anyone, anywhere, to access our stuff. And, with all intermediaries impacted by this decision, end-to-end encryption it’s not just messaging applications like WhatsApp or Signal affected, but also secure Voice over IP (VoIP) services, some cloud storage services, and much more.

We believe strong encryption is critical to the Internet and should simply be how things are done. We’re working to ensure encryption is available for everyone and it becomes the default.

If you want to make your voice heard on these draft rules, now is the time. The deadline to submit comments to India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is 31 January to:

Data Privacy Day is a little like celebrating the anniversary of your first date. They are both a yearly occasion to reflect on the most important relationships in our life, the former with those who know the most about us, the latter with our significant other. It’s also a reminder that relationships are built on […]

Data Privacy Day is a little like celebrating the anniversary of your first date.

They are both a yearly occasion to reflect on the most important relationships in our life, the former with those who know the most about us, the latter with our significant other.

It’s also a reminder that relationships are built on trust – and how fragile that trust can be.

Privacy online relies on trust at its core. But as we become more reliant on connected devices and virtual assistants to handle our most intimate health, banking, and private information, we’re putting our trust into shaky hands.

Honesty is the foundation of trust and it’s just as important in our relationships with loved ones as those with data brokers. It’s crucial for data brokers to be honest with users about who, when, and how people have access to their personal data, especially as we transition into smarter homes and cities.

It’s clear we want more control over our privacy, but each year baby monitors, drones, and countless other connected objects are hitting the shelves with insecurities. (And if it comes as a surprise that a baby monitor could put your bank account at risk, you should really check out this great video that lays it out in under two minutes.)

As consumers, we know most people don’t read terms and conditions before giving consent to sharing private information. The documents are too long, too confusing, and too in the way of the content we want to access. But we can’t continue to live in ignorant bliss.

So what can we do to better protect ourselves online? For starters, check out our tips on how to connect smart.

But privacy online is a social responsibility. It isn’t just up to consumers alone – the people who have access to our most intimate data have to start taking it more seriously.

It’s not good enough for companies to excuse bad privacy practices on the grounds of “consent” to rules most people don’t understand, or have a meaningful opportunity to choose or refuse.

Given California’s lead, the US will likely propose a federal comprehensive privacy law this year to make sure consumers everywhere are protected, not just those in the Golden State.

Things are also shaking up in Canada, where policymakers are setting an international example in how to develop bottom-up security policies.

The Internet Society is in the final stages of a successful multistakeholder process it helped facilitate in 2018 at the Government of Canada’s request for recommendations on how to improve IoT security in Canada. The project is so successful that it’s already being replicated as a model in Senegal and France.

While we can expect federal legislation to come down the pipes in both the U.S. and Canada, there’s an obligation on companies to proactively step up their practices. As I’ve said before, real privacy protection for consumers depends on all stakeholders – consumers, governments, companies – all making different, better choices.

The IPNSIG (InterPlanetary Networking Special Interest Group) has been a Chapter of the Internet Society since February 2014. We are pleased to announce that we recently created a blog dedicated to everyone interested in IPN and DTN, and computer networking in general. It is a first step in providing nonspecialists with easy-to-understand explanations of what […]

The IPNSIG (InterPlanetary Networking Special Interest Group) has been a Chapter of the Internet Society since February 2014. We are pleased to announce that we recently created a blog dedicated to everyone interested in IPN and DTN, and computer networking in general. It is a first step in providing nonspecialists with easy-to-understand explanations of what IPN is and how it works. Each week, we will post news about the exciting world of IPN, summaries of academic research, or links to IPN in the mainstream media. We’ll also be announcing upcoming IPNSIG events and activities.

Our mission
We aim to realize a functional and scalable system of interplanetary data communications before the year 2020. We will accomplish this objective by engaging the public’s interest in funding and executing the research and technology development necessary to make InterPlanetary Networking (IPN) a reality. We will educate them about the critical need for a reliable, scalable space data network to enable cost-effective exploration and eventual commercial use of the inner solar system. We will excite them about the potential role these same network systems technologies can play in solving communication problems here on earth.

What is IPN?It is a solution to the constrained network environment present in space data communications and, more generally, in the emerging Internet of Things.

TCP/IP, the core technology running today’s Internet, assumes essentially instantaneous, continuous end-to-end connectivity, and fails when it encounters delay or disruption of any significant length (about 4 seconds). However, delays and disruptions are inherent in data communications at interplanetary distances, with the shortest Round Trip Time (RTT) for a radio signal to travel to Mars and back being about 7 minutes. Other factors contribute to the network constraints existing in interplanetary communications, but delay is the most significant factor making existing Internet protocols impractical for use.

While igniting public interest, the INPSIG will engage with those researching and developing the technologies and the standards that are advancing interplanetary exploration by advancing Interplanetary Networking. We will investigate commercial use of IPN technologies (most specifically, DTN).

What is DTN?
Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) is an approach to computer network architecture that seeks to address the technical issues in heterogeneous networks that may lack continuous network connectivity. Examples of such networks are those operating in mobile or extreme terrestrial environments, or planned networks in space.

The IPNSIG membership is international and interdisciplinary in scope. We continue to engage in a number of research, public education, and academic outreach initiatives.

We are all about realizing the dream of interplanetary exploration. Effective space data communications systems are critical to that make that effort succeed – just as important as the spacecraft that deliver the instruments or humans into space.

]]>93799https://d36wslfha9yaj0.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/interplanetary_sig.jpgIntroducing a new software platform that offers improved Chapter management functionality and much morehttps://d36wslfha9yaj0.cloudfront.net/blog/2019/01/introducing-a-new-software-platform-that-offers-improved-chapter-management-functionality-and-much-more/
Thu, 24 Jan 2019 15:09:13 +0000https://www.internetsociety.org/?p=93839On 31 January, 2019, we will be launching our new association management software (AMS) that will offer many new capabilities to Internet Society members and Chapters. During the roll-out of the new platform, the current AMS will be offline for several days (details below). Internet Society members will be familiar with our current AMS if […]

]]>On 31 January, 2019, we will be launching our new association management software (AMS) that will offer many new capabilities to Internet Society members and Chapters.

During the roll-out of the new platform, the current AMS will be offline for several days (details below).

Internet Society members will be familiar with our current AMS if you have ever clicked on the “Member Login” link in the upper right corner of this web page. You also used the AMS if you logged into our Connect member forums or took an online course using our Inforum system. Chapter leaders have become very familiar with our AMS over the years, as it is the way they have interacted with their members and performed administrative functions for the Chapter.

Due to some functional limitations with the current AMS, we are replacing the system with a new AMS that will provide:

We are very excited by the capabilities and how this new AMS will enable both our staff and our Chapters to be better able to communicate effectively with our members. This will help us all speak globally with a stronger voice, as well as enable you to deliver the services locally you need to in order to achieve your objectives.

In order to make this migration happen successfully, we will take our current AMS offline for several days. The downtime will begin at 22:00 UTC on Friday, 25 January and may extend to 22:00 UTC on Friday, 1 February.

Community established networks, also referred to as “community networks” (CNs), have existed for many years and provide a sustainable solution to address the connectivity gaps that exist in urban, remote, and rural areas around the world. While the global statistics estimate that about half of the world population has access to the Internet, the connectivity […]

Community established networks, also referred to as “community networks” (CNs), have existed for many years and provide a sustainable solution to address the connectivity gaps that exist in urban, remote, and rural areas around the world. While the global statistics estimate that about half of the world population has access to the Internet, the connectivity gap is wide between the developed and developing countries.

In order to address the connectivity challenges in Tanzania, the Internet Society Tanzania Chapter in partnership with the University of Dodoma, supported by Beyond the Net Funding Programme, has built a pilot project using TV white space as a community network solution. The deployed network has connected four educational institutions in rural Tanzania and at the same time provided Internet access to community members around the schools.

In order to achieve both technical and financial sustainability, members of Kondoa Community Network played a critical role in the deployment of the required infrastructure that finally made this project successful.

Prior to scale-up phase, the Internet Society Tanzania Chapter, in collaboration with the University of Dodoma, organized a two-day technical workshop that brought together participants interested in community networks and those already working with community radio in Tanzania. The workshop was held at the University of Dodoma 5-7 December 2018 and was attended by 45 participants in Tanzania (Dar es Salaam, Loliondo, Kahama, Kondoa, Uvinza, Bukombe, Karagwe, Arusha, Kyela, Nkasi, Ileje, Makete, and Nyasa). This was the first community network and community radio workshop of its kind held in Tanzania. The workshop included facilitators from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Argentina. The official opening of the workshop was attended by Peter Msoffe, Acting Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, Research and Consultancy of the University of Dodoma. “Community networks are the networks which are deployed and managed by the community themselves to address the connectivity challenges, and are used to receive and exchange information that could solve community challenges,” said Msoffe. A participant from Unyanja FM Community Radio, Patrick Kossima, said, “community network[s] and community radio supplement each other. For instance, hard to reach areas that were not possible to be covered by community radio could be covered by [a] community network and in so doing both feed each other the relevant local contents around the community.”

The workshop covered topics ranging from the technical to policy matters that favor Internet access in Tanzania. “Internet Society Tanzania Chapter is committed to making the Internet to be available even in the very remote and underserved areas in Tanzania because we believe the Internet is for everyone,” said Abibu Ntahigiye, Chairperson, Tanzania Chapter. Ntahigiye presented the topic “Domain the Undomain using .tz Domain.” The workshop on the first community network and community radio in Tanzania was concluded with a visit to Kondoa Community Network, the first community network to pilot the use of television white space technology in Tanzania. While in Kondoa District, workshop participants also visited Kondoa Irangi Rock Paintings which are recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Site.

IoT survey: Nearly half of all companies using IoT devices don’t have mechanisms in place to detect if any of their devices have been hacked, according to a survey featured in a Fast Company story. Just 14 percent of the respondents to the Gemalto survey believe providing security is an ethical consideration. Huge leak: More than […]

IoT survey: Nearly half of all companies using IoT devices don’t have mechanisms in place to detect if any of their devices have been hacked, according to a survey featured in a Fast Company story. Just 14 percent of the respondents to the Gemalto survey believe providing security is an ethical consideration.

Huge leak: More than 22 million unique passwords and 772 million email addresses were leaked and distributed by hackers in a folder named “Collection #1,” Mashable reports. The cache of emails and passwords were collected from several data, dating back to 2008.

Pushing back: WhatsApp is planning to fight India’s recent crackdown on encryption, FT.com reports. Indian policymakers have proposed rules that would allow authorities to trace the origin of encrypted messages, but WhatsApp says it will protest the proposals.

Fighting fake news: Japan’s government plans to come up with a plan to fight fake news by June, Japan Times says. The plan could include requiring social media companies to create codes of conduct. Several other attempts by governments to fight fake news have led to concerns about censorship, however.

AI as a weapon:Forbes.com has a story raising concerns about the weaponization of Artificial Intelligence. “Artificial intelligence is leading us toward a new algorithmic warfare battlefield that has no boundaries or borders, may or may not have humans involved, and will be impossible to understand and perhaps control across the human ecosystem in cyberspace, geospace and space,” the story says.

Self-aware software: A cryptocurrency mining malware package has become kind of self-ware, The Next Web reports. One form of a common malware has evolved and can now switch off security services to continue mining without being detected.

Read the Internet Society’s IoT Trust Framework, which identifies the core requirements for people from all sectors to understand, assess, and embrace effective security and privacy.

We spent last week at the Consumer Electronics Show (aka CES) in Las Vegas, with over 180,000 of our closest friends. And with 4,500 exhibitors present, you’d have less than 30 seconds at each booth if you wanted to talk to all of them. Many articles have covered the cool new things, so in this […]

We spent last week at the Consumer Electronics Show (aka CES) in Las Vegas, with over 180,000 of our closest friends. And with 4,500 exhibitors present, you’d have less than 30 seconds at each booth if you wanted to talk to all of them. Many articles have covered the cool new things, so in this blogpost we are going to discuss our overall impressions as they relate to our work on consumer IoT security and privacy.

Not surprisingly, there were many interesting conference sessions and a wide variety of innovative products on display, including some that seemed to push the bounds of credibility in their claims. Integration of devices with voice-driven and other platforms was everywhere – Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, and Samsung SmartThings being the most widely adopted to date. 5G was a hot topic, especially for its improved speeds and flexibility, though specifics about its availability are still hard to pin down.

Everything these days is getting connected to the Internet – from cat toys to sports simulators to home automation. One area that seems to be gaining more traction because it has gone beyond the “gadget” stage and is solving real problems is health and wellness services for the home. These range from tools to monitor and improve your health to tools that monitor elderly or disabled people and send alerts or provide assistance. These connected devices all around us are collecting and transmitting a great deal of data about us – about our habits, our interests, our movements (both physically and online), our communications (including our spoken conversations in many cases), and what other connected devices we use. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are being applied both to analyze activity (what is the camera seeing?) and proactively control surroundings (turning on lights and firing up a playlist as you come home from work).

This leads to many questions, including:

What happens to all of this data after it is collected and transmitted into the cloud? Who has access to it, and under what circumstances?

What is happening behind the scenes, within and between manufacturers, to correlate and analyze the collected data and derive conclusions about us and our lives?

What ability, if any, do users have to understand and control what is being collected and transmitted, and how it is being used?

Do users have the ability to review the data being held, and to delete some or all of it upon their request?

How much can we as consumers expect industry to monitor and police itself?

What ought to be the role of regulators and policy authorities in protecting consumers from inappropriate actions on the part of manufacturers and related service providers?

While security and privacy were discussed in a few specific sessions, focus on features, functionality, and convenience ruled the day. Because frequent headlines about security and privacy lapses in consumer IoT services have raised awareness and concerns for both consumers and policymakers, we believe industry has an opportunity to proactively address security and privacy and make it part of the core conversation. To help provide guidance on implementing appropriate levels of security and privacy, the Online Trust Alliance (OTA), an Internet Society initiative, has produced the IoT Trust Framework. This set of 40 principles covers security, privacy, and long-term sustainability (lifecycle) issues. It is intended as a guide for IoT manufacturers, for procurement (including governments), and for retailers to use as a “filter” by which to evaluate the products and services they choose to sell.

How can you learn more? The Internet Society has produced a number of resources about the various issues surrounding IoT, including with our partner Consumers International (the membership organization for consumer groups around the world), such as:

On 10 January, the Internet Society Delhi Chapter and CCAOI jointly organised an interactive webinar on the draft Information Technology [Intermediary Guidelines (Amendment) Rules] 2018 (“the draft Intermediary Rules”) to improve understanding of it and to encourage members and other Indian stakeholders to submit their comments to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) during their public comment period. […]

On 10 January, the Internet Society Delhi Chapter and CCAOI jointly organised an interactive webinar on the draft Information Technology [Intermediary Guidelines (Amendment) Rules] 2018 (“the draft Intermediary Rules”) to improve understanding of it and to encourage members and other Indian stakeholders to submit their comments to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) during their public comment period. The draft Intermediary Rules seeks to modify Section 79(2)(c) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (the IT Act). Section 79 of the IT Act introduces obligations for intermediaries to meet to gain exemption from liability over the third-party information that they “receive, store, transmit, or provide any service with respect to.” These proposed changes were developed by MeitY to try to address misinformation and harmful content on social media, which have been connected with lynching and other recent violent acts of vigilantism.

The session was moderated by Subhashish Panigrahi, chapter development manager for Asia-Pacific at the Internet Society, and Amrita Choudhury, treasurer of the Internet Society Delhi Chapter and director of the CCAOI.

The changes to the IT Act proposed in the draft Intermediary Rules would require intermediaries to provide monthly notification to users on content they should not share; ensure that the originator of unlawful content is traceable; deploy automated tools for proactively identifying and disabling unlawful information or content; and obligate intermediaries with over 5,000,000 users to set up office in India and appoint a nodal officer (for coordination with law enforcement agencies).

An “intermediary” under the IT Act includes any person or entity who on behalf of another receives, stores, or transmits a message or provides any service with respect to a message. Under the IT Act, intermediaries include ISPs, cybercafés, online companies, social media, etc. Looking at the broad definition of intermediaries, some argue that the proposed changes to the IT Act would be difficult for many intermediaries to comply with. Other concerns include whether the draft Intermediary Rules have the capacity to affect the fundamental rights of free speech and privacy or may erode the safe harbor protection for intermediaries which Section 79 of the IT Act provides.

During the interactive webinar organized by the Delhi Chapter and CCAOI:

Shashank Misra, Senior Associate at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, gave an introduction to the draft Intermediary Rules, the definition of intermediaries under the IT Act, and obligations for intermediaries. He presented an overview of the draft Intermediary Rules, categorizing the amendments under five broad themes, and reiterated the importance of commenting on the draft now before it becomes a law.

Nehaa Chaudhari, Public Policy Lead at Ikigai Law, highlighted the draft Intermediary Rules’ lack of clarity on oversight mechanisms for the state and central government. She called attention to the lack of safeguards on take down requests under Section 5 of the draft Intermediary Rules. She also questioned the introduction of some obligations as part of “delegated legislation,” instead arguing that these should be proposed under new legislation. (In India, delegated legislation occurs when an executive authority is given the power to make laws to implement a primary legislation.) The Intermediary Rules are a form of delegated legislation to implement the IT Act. She also questioned the necessity of some of the proposed suggestions, such as the monthly user notification by all intermediaries, and whether it achieves its objective.

Arjun Sinha, a tech lawyer, argued that the government needs to adopt a graded approach for requesting for information or assistance from online platforms, rather than adopting a 72-hour timeline. Using this approach, different grades would be based on the importance of the information requested. He also questioned the metrics used to calculate the 5,000,000 users, including how the government would independently verify the number and ensure compliance.

Gurshabad Grover, Policy Officer at CIS India, highlighted that the draft rules may exceed the scope of what is allowed to be “delegated legislation.” In addition, he argued that the draft rule 3.9, which asks for deploying automated tools for “proactively identifying and removing or disabling public access to unlawful information or content,” is technically impossible for some intermediaries to implement.

Paul Brooks, Chair of Internet Australia, an Internet Society Chapter, shared the Australian chapter’s experience and lessons learned during their own advocacy on Australian regulations and policies that could impact Internet security. In 2018, the Chapter engaged in an advocacy campaign to inform lawmakers and the public on the issues that could arise from proposed legislation on encryption. During their campaign, Internet Australia’s activities included holding a public workshop, making submissions on draft legislation, and conducting interviews with media outlets about the legislation.

Subhashish Panigrahi emphasized the Internet Society’s commitment to support Indian chapters in making their submissions on the draft Intermediary Rules. He also gave an overview of the work done by the Internet Society on encryption, such as the Encryption Policy Brief. He encouraged participants to visit the Internet Society’s encryption issues page for more resources.

With nearly fifty people attending the webinar, there were various questions raised by the participants, which were responded to by the experts. Based on interest, another discussion may be held just after the submission deadline so that counter comments can be submitted.

All are encouraged to submit their comments on the draft guidelines by 31 January to:

In July 2018, the Internet Society’s Latin America and Caribbean Bureau held another edition of the Workshop for Chapter Leaders. Besides discussing the challenges and opportunities of participation in their respective chapters, the 34 attendees began the implementation of several projects related to our 4 key issues of 2018. Starting 2019, I am glad to share […]

In July 2018, the Internet Society’s Latin America and Caribbean Bureau held another edition of the Workshop for Chapter Leaders. Besides discussing the challenges and opportunities of participation in their respective chapters, the 34 attendees began the implementation of several projects related to our 4 key issues of 2018. Starting 2019, I am glad to share with you the main results of these projects.

Participation showed a strong preference for Internet access issues. As a result, 10 of the 23 projects implemented were focused on Community Networks. Following our vocation in favor of the multistakeholder approach and the participation of the community, 8 of the projects took Internet Governance as a central theme. The remaining 5 projects focused on trust and security by focusing on Internet of Things (IoT) and Internet routing security through MANRS.

The results are inspiring, since they reflect the diversity of the Latin American and Caribbean region. In Community Networks, projects include a broad spectrum of related topics, ranging from the deployment and implementation of networks to the analysis and mapping of regulatory conditions to ensure such deployment. In addition, some of the projects focused on capacity building through webinars.

In terms of Internet Governance, awareness and capacity building were the most preferred ways of implementation. This is the same course taken by the projects related to IoT security. The participants who implemented these projects identified the need to carry out campaigns using the information resources offered by Internet Society.

Facing 2019, we are sure that we’ll maintain and increase the level of participation of the Chapters in the region. The year will be full of exciting challenges that we will face as a community. Our main goal will be to work together in favor of an open, globally-connected, secure, and trustworthy Internet for everyone.

Hot tub vulnerabilities: New connections to the Internet of Things for hot tubs – allowing users to do things like adjust water temperature using their smartphones – also may make the products vulnerable to attacks, Naked Security writes. At least one connected hot tub would be easy to attack by a nearby hacker, according to […]

Hot tub vulnerabilities: New connections to the Internet of Things for hot tubs – allowing users to do things like adjust water temperature using their smartphones – also may make the products vulnerable to attacks, Naked Security writes. At least one connected hot tub would be easy to attack by a nearby hacker, according to research.

IoT security by BlackBerry: The vintage smartphone maker is rebranding itself as an IoT security vendor, with the release of three products, CNet reports. BlackBerry wants to license its technology to IoT device makers.

It’s a fake fake news study: Researchers who released a study on fake news in mid-2017 have retracted it, saying erroneous data lead to the study’s conclusion, Vice reports. The study had suggested that fake news is as likely to go viral on social media as true information, but the reevaluated data doesn’t support that conclusion, the authors said.

The golden years for fake news: Meanwhile, people over age 65 are likely to share the most fake news on Facebook, The Verge says. That’s the conclusion of researchers from New York University and Princeton University. Older users shared more fake news than younger ones regardless of education, sex, race, income, or how many links they shared, and age predicted their behavior better even than party affiliation.

Worrying about an AI apocalypse: U.S. adults expect major advancements in Artificial Intelligence in the coming years but are also concerned about the direction of AI, according to a study detailed at Vox.com. Survey respondents were concerned about issues like data privacy, AI-enhanced cyberattacks, and surveillance, but also about longer-term issues like hypothetical AI-related safety issues that kill at least 10 percent of the world’s population. Yikes.

Selling your location: U.S. mobile carriers, through a credit risk reporting firm, have been selling cell phone location data to third parties, ZDNet reports. A U.S. senator has called for Congress to pass legislation to ban the sale of location data.

Shutting down after attempted coup: The government of Gabon shut down Internet and broadcasting services after an attempted coup in the country, Al Jazeera reports. The government then claimed the coup had been thwarted.

Today’s guest post is from Bhredipta Socarana, an Intellectual Property lawyer based in Indonesia and a Youth@IGF Fellow. As one of the most populated countries, Indonesia has grown as one of the biggest markets for technology development. From the import of various over-the-top platforms to the implementation of Artificial Intelligence, technology has changed the Indonesian livelihood, including my […]

Today’s guest post is from Bhredipta Socarana, an Intellectual Property lawyer based in Indonesia and a Youth@IGF Fellow.

As one of the most populated countries, Indonesia has grown as one of the biggest markets for technology development. From the import of various over-the-top platforms to the implementation of Artificial Intelligence, technology has changed the Indonesian livelihood, including my own. This is also the case for Internet of Things (IoT).

As an emerging country, Indonesia admittedly has not been an advance player in responding to technology improvement. Despite the heavy invasion of technology-related products, many Indonesians have homework to do, especially for IoT. The business player needs to be aware of the responsibility of manufacturing and distributing IoT, while the public must also be aware of the various risks that they may be exposed to using IoT products.

Through the rapid development of technology and the intention of the Indonesian government to push the public to enter the “Industrial Revolution 4.0,” it will be mostly impossible to prevent penetration of IoT to our life. This leaves the public with the need to get smart with IoT.

Privacy and cybersecurity are among the issues revolving around IoT, and the need to have a safer and reliable IoT becomes more relevant as our private life becomes connected to the Internet.

The Indonesian public must realize that safety should start with themselves. Taking preventive measures as the initial step in using IoT can never go wrong. It starts when an IoT purchase is made.

As a lawyer specializing in intellectual property and information technology law practice, I am accustomed to the risks of using counterfeit products: from losing money, being attacked by ransomware, to not being able to claim after-sales warranty, just to name some. Furthermore, in terms of operation, terms and conditions related to IoT usage must also be understood. This could include giving the device and its apps permission to record, to track, to store, and other activities involving our privacy. Ultimately, users need to know their rights and have the relevant authority to ask help, if something goes wrong.

As such, a collaborative effort must be made in Indonesia. We must get smarter in choosing and operating IoT, and these efforts must be made by everyone who has a stake in its security: government, business, as well as the public.

Adisa Bolutife is a 22-year-old open access advocate based in Lagos, Nigeria. A graduate of the University of Lagos with a degree in and electronics engineering, he is passionate about issues related to access, technology, inclusion, and Internet Governance. In 2016, Bolutife founded Open Switch Africa, where he leads a group of students, researchers, and academics to […]

Like many people around the world, the Internet has contributed largely to the person I am today – building my knowledge base through access to a wealth of information. Without the Internet, a lot of things would not be as easy as they are right now.

As a recent graduate, I can relate to the fact that the Internet has been extremely helpful in aiding and improving student learning and research, as I can cite academic resources online and watch lectures from world class tutors from the comfort of my room. I am a strong advocate for open access in research, education, and data, and the Internet has been a powerful enabler in bridging knowledge gaps between privileged and underprivileged communities. The ability of the Internet to serve as a platform for disseminating information to all and sundry, regardless of race, gender, or nationality is what makes the Internet a global tool trusted by billions of people around the world.

In 2016, I founded Open Switch Africa, where I advocate for an accessible and inclusive Internet where information is not hindered by paywalls, regulation, or lack of connectivity.

Without connectivity we cannot have the vast interconnection that the Internet creates between billions of computers and devices, thereby forming an interconnection between people and information. Information brings knowledge, and knowledge, as they say, is power.

It has become increasingly clear that the Internet is at the core of almost all that we do. With automation and machine learning at the forefront of transforming the scope of future jobs, open education and open data driving the scope of education and research, and social media plus blogs disrupting the status quo in communication, very soon a much larger percentage of the world population will depend on the Internet for their livelihood. This is why it is extremely important, in preparation for the future, that we ensure all voices are heard when it comes to critical decisions regarding the future of the Internet.

The Internet is diversity by its very nature, and youth involvement is crucial to shaping the Internet of tomorrow. Young people are already shaping the online culture in so many ways. They are building their dream Internet. And yet when it comes to policy discussions, they are not at the table.

We need policies that protect us and prepare us for the future of the Internet, while ensuring that no one is left behind.

In 2017, the Internet Society unveiled the 2017 Global Internet Report: Paths to Our Digital Future. The interactive report identifies the drivers affecting tomorrow’s Internet and their impact on Media & Society, Digital Divides, and Personal Rights & Freedoms. While preparing to launch the 2019 Global Internet Report, we interviewed Chris Yiu to hear his perspective on the forces shaping the Internet’s future.

Chris Yiu is a senior policy fellow for technology in the Renewing the Centre team at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. His work focuses on how new technologies can be used to enhance the functioning of liberal democracy, and on policy solutions to the new economic challenges of automation and the digital economy. Chris was previously a general manager at Uber and has held senior roles in a number of public, private, and third-sector organizations. He recently authored the report, “A New Deal for Big Tech: Next-Generation Regulation Fit for the Internet Age” (Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, 2018).

The Internet Society: In your report you write that this “new deal for big tech” is urgent for protecting democratic values globally. Why?

Chris Yiu: Political leaders face an external environment characterised by disruption and rapid change, which people of all backgrounds are struggling to make sense of. Looking at the rise of populism across the West, what started as a closed-minded turn against globalisation is now being compounded by a backward-looking turn against progress. Technology has stripped traditional gatekeepers of their power, delivered real progress for consumers and businesses, and increased many freedoms. But it has also brought significant economic upheaval and heightened cultural pressures, along with huge unknowns about the future. Most importantly, technology has concentrated power in the hands of a relatively small number of companies that all too often wield it clumsily and without sufficient legitimacy.

In your report you also argue that regulation for legacy industries aren’t relevant for the pace and scale of the Internet, and that a new approach for regulating technology companies is needed. Why?

The Internet has fundamentally changed the operating environment for both companies and regulators, with very different cost structures giving rise to new incentives and business models. Across the board, technology-based challengers have not so much out-competed incumbent firms as made them obsolete. The same is true of old approaches to regulation: detailed rules and permissions worked well when markets were finite and relatively stable, but the Internet is characterised by effectively infinite scalability and rapid change. And of course we can no longer view it as a special case that can be dealt with by a few careful carve-outs and exemptions, because in today’s environment it has a bearing on every aspect of our economy and society. A fresh approach, based on stronger accountability coupled with more freedom to innovate, is the best way to align private incentives with the public interest.

You’ve written about competition law’s limitations, as have other popular media like The Economist recently. What is the role of data and consumer protection in your proposed new approach?

Stronger controls on things like data protection and privacy are necessary but not sufficient for consumers to make better decisions or competition to work effectively. In the report we talk about ensuring users have a meaningful understanding of what they are signing up to. This is different to impenetrable terms and conditions or being able to download your data file – when convenience supersedes most other considerations, people need an easy way to assess whether they are happy with the basic relationship they have with a service. More broadly, when we think about competition policy it’s important to remember that Internet-era cost structures and business models tend to result in firms getting large because they are doing something consumers want. So a long view of protecting consumers should not be overly concerned with scale per se, and instead place more weight on ensuring new challengers can get established.

You have suggested that a new regulator is needed to promote tech company responsibility, increase consumers’ digital literacy, and “rewrite obsolete rules for the Internet age.” Are existing regulators not up to the task of doing these things?

There are a couple of aspects to this. First, the core capabilities of many traditional regulators are not necessarily those required to exercise effective oversight of new, technology-based business models and markets. To be able to match the power of large tech companies, regulators need to be expert and fluent in the same fundamentals of Internet-scale operations, speed, data, and innovation. Large tech companies recruit different for different sorts of skills and mindsets compared to incumbent firms; we know that making this pivot is hard for traditional organisations and there is no reason to think that the regulators that mirror them are any different.

Second, the Internet is shaping the operating environment for all industries, and the impact of fundamental shifts in things like cost structures and business models is being felt across the economy. So when it comes to public policy, there is more commonality in the systemic issues arising from big tech firms across different sectors than there is between individual firms and the narrow markets they have disrupted. This puts a premium on a new generation of regulator anchored on the Internet rather than traditional sectors or industries.

Is there hope in data portability as a way of countering data effects and addressing consolidation concerns?

Data portability is an important principle, but I don’t think we can expect this alone to be enough to solve the biggest policy challenges. For one thing, as services achieve scale and differentiate from one another, it’s not always clear what portability would mean in practice (it’s easy to imagine porting your profile info and avatar from one service to another, but content far less so, let alone data observed or inferred about you). And of course some of the data that would have the greatest impact on competition – i.e., a user’s social graph – is explicitly off limits under regulation like Europe’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). Given the propensity of large firms to try to use their scale to consolidate their power, stronger checks on acquisitions of potentially competitive startups may be a better lever.

What are your fears for the future of the Internet?

That in the face of unrelenting external pressure, our political leaders and policymakers will get stuck trying to fight the Internet rather than accepting it and figuring out how to maximise its opportunities and mitigate its challenges. This could manifest in many ways, from a fracturing of the global commons into closed regional blocs, through to overbearing or poorly designed policy responses that do major collateral damage or inadvertently favour large incumbents over smaller competitors. In particular Europe and North America have much in common in terms of shared values; a renewed period of transatlantic cooperation on technology is of the utmost importance, but without strong political leadership it may be easier to turn inward than work together.

What are your hopes for the future of the Internet?

We can’t uninvent the Internet – and even if we could, we wouldn’t want to. Despite all of the challenges – both economic and cultural – that we are grappling with, the Internet itself and the big tech companies that shape so much of daily lives are the product of a benign operating environment anchored on liberal democracy. And so I am optimistic that we can move past the techlash and leverage technology as a source of optimism about the future. A structured dialogue between those changing the world with new technologies, and those seeking to respond with policy and regulation, can still get us to a place where the benefits of technology are widely shared.

On 14 December 2018, the young and old people of Mamaila Tribal Authority convened at Wholesale Village in the Limpopo Province in South Africa to learn about community networks (CNs). The workshop, with the theme Why Community Networks Matter, took place at Moratabatho Missionary Church International, and was organized by the Internet Society South Africa Gauteng Chapter […]

On 14 December 2018, the young and old people of Mamaila Tribal Authority convened at Wholesale Village in the Limpopo Province in South Africa to learn about community networks (CNs). The workshop, with the theme Why Community Networks Matter,took place at Moratabatho Missionary Church International, and was organized by the Internet Society South Africa Gauteng Chapter and supported by the Beyond the Net Funding Programme. The purpose was to create awareness about community networks as innovative solutions that contribute towards closing the digital divides experienced by communities that lack access to telecommunication infrastructure. The workshop was delivered in partnership with Soweto Wireless User Group (SOWUG) and the Zuri Foundation. Thato Mfikwe, the president of the South Africa Gauteng Chapter, introduced participants to the Internet ecosystem and the opportunities available within the Internet value chain. The presentation by Thato stimulated a conversation with participants curious to know how to:

Make money from the Internet, specifically how to monetize their content on YouTube

Participate in the Internet ecosystem

Contribute to policy making

The session introduced participants to cybersecurity, the Internet of Things (IoT) concepts, and the basic infrastructure required for setting up a community network. The presentation created curiosity among the participants, leading into a discussion about how IoT works, how to safeguard their personal data, and how to create their own connectivity infrastructure. This was followed by the presentation “What are community networks and why do they matter?” According to Thato, “some of the advantages of CNs is that they are a solution created by the community to resolve their telecommunications challenges and creating digital solutions to support their day to day community processes.” Participants also learned that CNs use inexpensive infrastructure, unlicensed spectrum, and could be deployed by anyone who is willing to learn, meaning that participants do not require technical skills such as engineering and computer networking.

Thanks to SOWUG, the curiosity and knowledge gap was immediately closed when participants received hands-on training on how to create their own community network using unlicensed spectrum. The training was facilitated by Jabulani Vilakazi and Boitumelo Luthuli from SOWUG, who are also members of the South Africa Gauteng Chapter. Both facilitators shared their experience and knowledge on how they created community networks in Soweto as well as the business model of their social entrepreneur enterprise. The session started with participants creating their own ethernet cables, learning how to crimp the RJ45 connector, and learning the meaning and functions of the different wire colors. This was followed by a process to assemble Ubiquiti LiteBeams and configuring their point-to-point connections using the equipment provided by SOWUG. The technical training was regarded by participants as the most empowering session of the workshop as the training bridged the gap between theory and practice.

Prior the technical training, participants were requested to rate their Internet knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP). Twenty participants out of 30 completed the questionnaire.

Analysis

The KAP assessment revealed that participants:

Had exposure to the Internet (98% of the participants)

Viewed the Internet as an important tool that contribute towards improving people’s lives

Used the Internet to search for information, which further improved their general knowledge and exposed them to global events as well as news

The analysis further indicates that 99% of those who completed the KAP assessment would love to have access to WiFi within Mamaila Tribal Authority because data is expensive. The respondents indicated that accessibility will:

Enable learners, students, and graduates to reach their goals by empowering those who do not have data to apply online at universities using the available connectivity

Assist students to find information and conduct research as many people are disadvantaged

Improve the lives of the disadvantaged individuals to search for information, solutions, and have more knowledge about their region

Improve people’s lives because most job vacancies are advertised online, therefore, it is convenient for job seekers as well as networking and skills development

Empower musicians to upload their work online

Create jobs and allow business to distribute messages to clients

Participants further indicated that they use Internet mostly for communication, social media, research, and video/music download. One user creates websites while others use it for school, business marketing, and job vacancies. Most participants indicated that they access the Internet from their mobile phones. Two users indicated that they have routers at home. Participants reported that they use Internet on an hourly and daily basis, costing them anything between R5 daily to R280 per month for data various data bundles. The cost for connectivity emerged as the main barrier towards effective usage of the Internet, especially for participants who hoped to monetize their work by uploading content online. Participants highlighted that the region lacks community centers and libraries, and as a result learners experience digital divides at many levels. Therefore, connecting schools was viewed as a priority for villages within Mamaila Tribal Office and surrounding jurisdictions.

The highlight of the workshop was when participants were given free access to WiFi. The free connection enabled participants to livestream content and update their software. Unfortunately, the 3GB was consumed in less than thirty minutes, demonstrating the participants’ needs for high data consumption. The training ended in high spirits with the South Africa Gauteng Chapter donating 10 backpacks, 1 wireless router, and an MTN SIM card with a R1000 voucher to Moratabatho church. The highlight of the day was when participants asked for a follow up training sessions which will empower them to embark on a journey to create their own community networks.

Testimonials

“Our Kopano Radio can grow even bigger and have more listeners if in our area we can have community networks and affordable Internet access.”Manthole Mashala

“Building our own networks will also help to create the atmosphere of job and business opportunities. The content producers will be needed, amongst others, and the services offered by community networks will also be on a fee to those outside our targeted areas.”Fridah Seakakgole

There’s one New Year’s resolution we can bank on to improve the health and livelihoods of millions of people across North America this year, and it doesn’t involve buying into health fads or gadgets. The newly-released 2018 Indigenous Connectivity Summit (ICS) Community Report shows a strong correlation between Indigenous connectivity and the well-being and sustainability […]

The report summarizes outcomes of the 2018 Indigenous Connectivity Summit that brought nearly 140 Indigenous leaders, policy makers, network operators, and community members to the Arctic community of Inuvik, NT last October.

Like most New Year’s resolutions, connectivity solutions are neither quick nor cheap. This is especially true in northern rural and remote regions of the U.S. and Canada with geographic hurdles that make it hard for Internet service providers to achieve economies of scale.

It’s one of the main reasons today in 2019, millions of people across North America – yes, millions – still don’t have access to reliable broadband Internet.

Yes, that’s a big ask – but investments such as these are both critical and doable. We faced similar and arguably larger barriers when building the railroad and highway systems that have been integral to the health and success of our nations and economies.

As digital citizens, it’s our turn to finish paving the communications infrastructure that is no longer a nice-to-have, but crucial to the self-determination and competitiveness of individuals, communities, and countries everywhere.

While there have been several initiatives to help promote universal broadband in both Canada and the U.S., it’s up to all of us to urge our governments, policymakers, and corporations to make bigger and bolder investments to cover the real cost of ensuring Indigenous voices are part of our digital future.

Nation building costs a lot of money, but making sure that every household in North America can connect to the opportunities the Internet offers is worth it. The more we invest into empowering underserved areas with the tools to contribute in our digital spaces, the better the return for everyone.

To truly close the digital divide, we need to aim for infrastructure solutions to make sure rural and remote Indigenous communities can keep up to a rapidly changing world of communications technology and products requiring speeds 100 to 1,000 times faster than what our best-connected regions already get.

The ICS report features advice from Indigenous community network operators across North America who have successfully empowered people with fast, affordable, and reliable connectivity on their own terms.

If Canada got its wish for a federal investment of $4 billion over ten years towards connectivity solutions, it would go a long way towards empowering individuals and communities to bring more of these opportunities to light.

Build universal service strategies that include the flexibility to adapt to technological advances.

Consider different technological solutions for different connectivity realities and challenges.

Ask open questions about connectivity needs to avoid justifying a specific agenda.

Demand open access to data from telecommunications companies that can help inspire solutions.

Make funding opportunities accessible to all kinds of providers, large and small.

Prioritize connectivity solutions to the hardest places to connect first.

Encourage respect when developing solutions for service in tribal, treaty, and land claim areas.

Consider different models of connectivity to best serve individual geographic locations.

Free up more spectrum from companies who hold a license without using it.

The benefits of ensuring Indigenous voices are included online go beyond promoting the individual and economic health and well-being of our physical communities. It’s also critical to the infrastructure and integrity of the Internet.

The Internet connects people because of its open, distributed, and interoperable design.

It’s a network of voluntarily-connected networks created as a community for everyone. It works because everyone can contribute and only gets better when more of us are able to.

While it’s safe to predict this year’s Internet-based innovation will have a profound impact on our lives in 2019 and beyond, it’s hard to celebrate advancement if millions are still left behind.

Imagine what more could be possible if our governments invested in connecting the millions of other minds and cultural perspectives our countries have to offer. The possibilities are virtually infinite.

Build your own: A Massachusetts town has declined an offer from a major ISP to build a high-speed broadband network and instead will create its own, the Boston Globe reports. While a locally owned network will initially cost more, residents of Charlemont say they want local control and local customer service. Congo shuts it off: The […]

Build your own: A Massachusetts town has declined an offer from a major ISP to build a high-speed broadband network and instead will create its own, the Boston Globe reports. While a locally owned network will initially cost more, residents of Charlemont say they want local control and local customer service.

Congo shuts it off: The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has shut down the Internet in several cities after a much-delayed presidential election, the BBC reports. Opposition candidate Martin Fayulu’s campaign accused the government of ordering the shutdown to avoid broadcasting his “overwhelming victory.” The shutdown in the Congo shows that China’s philosophy of Internet censorship is spreading, CNN comments.

Blockchain marries IoT: Some large companies are looking for ways to use the blockchain technology with the Internet of Things, Network World says. Volkswagen is one of the companies, and automotive uses for blockchain include authenticating mileage for a lease return, or remote, over-the-air software updates.

AI vs. hackers: Companies are increasingly turning to Artificial Intelligence to help identify and predict cyberattacks, Bloomberg says. Large tech companies are moving away from older “rules-based” technology designed to respond to specific kinds of intrusion and “deploying machine-learning algorithms that crunch massive amounts of data on logins, behavior and previous attacks to ferret out and stop hackers,” the story says.

IoT and power outages? Some recent power outages may have been caused by IoT-related cyberattacks, Network World suggests. The writer notes several recent power outages at airports and wonders if they are related to hacker-controlled IoT botnets.

Targeting newspapers: A cyberattack in late December caused major printing and delivery delays at the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and other newspapers, CNBC.com reports. The cyberattack appeared to originate outside the United States.

Esther Mwema is a youth leader passionate about gender, digital literacy, and grassroots advocacy. She is founder of the SAFIGI Outreach Foundation and President of Digital Grassroots. She is also a 2019 IFF Community Development fellow, a 2019 Engineers Without Borders Canada Kumvana fellow, a Mozilla Open Leader, an Internet Society 2017 Youth@IGF fellow, an open […]

Mwema graduated summa cum laude in multimedia journalism, and is a contributor on Impakter.com and Africa.com. She is an emerging African writer, working on her debut fantasy novel and does photography in her free time.

Born in 1994, about the same time Tim Berners-Lee founded the World Wide Web Consortium and a commercialized Internet started to take form, the Internet has inextricably shaped my life and career.

At 16 years old, I got my first job at an Internet café. I had taught myself to type, and that was all I needed to teach people that they couldn’t just guess a password if they had not already set up an email account. Many young people in developing nations are still grappling to learn the computer (it’s far worse for adults). This fact, however, has not stalled a social media boom. There’s a robust consumer market, but the consumers aren’t reflected in the faces of those making decisions for them in shaping the future of the Internet.

At 17 years old, after living abroad alone as a young girl, I founded the SAFIGI Outreach Foundation (Safety First for Girls) in an effort to create a world where girls are empowered, equipped, and fulfilled for the benefit of the entire world. UN Online Volunteers allowed me to collaborate with over 250 volunteers in 50 countries to use Safety Education, Research, and Advocacy in order to respond to core issues affecting safety for girls across the globe.

Shape Your Digital Future! could not have been a more fitting theme for the 2017 IGF. It inspired me to create Digital Grassroots in response to what I see as a gaping digital divide. Despite being major stakeholders of the Internet, young people from marginalized communities are underrepresented in major policy developments and implementation processes that shape our digital future. Events like the IGF can often be taken for granted, and I believe it sets a dangerous precedent for the global IGF to be circulating throughout Europe, when digital rights abuses like Internet shutdowns, social media tax, and threats to journalistic freedom of speech happen predominantly outside the region. While the IGF is mainly for dialogue, for persons who live under administrations that believe “governance” in Internet Governance means government, such dialogue could make a world of difference.

Our team of 2017 Youth@IGF fellows, all under 25 years old and living in 11 different nations across the globe, are passionate about the core values of the Internet. Together we are striving towards ensuring openness, security, privacy, web literacy, and decentralization of the Internet. Starting at the grassroots level, Digital Grassroots created an Internet literacy course to address the existing lack of awareness of basic Internet literacy knowledge in local communities in the developing world. Our Cohort 1 Outcome Report highlights the impact we’ve had. After three cohorts, the final one being in French, we have released a Communiqué on Youth Resolutions in Internet Governance. Mozilla Open Leaders gave our team the tools we needed to work and lead Open, helping us to empower and collaborate within inclusive communities. In 2018, we trained at least 300 young people in digital literacy and mentored over 100 in youth participation in Internet Governance.

Now at 24 years old, I recognize that representation matters if we want to see transformative change online and off. And this is why Digital Grassroots is so important. If we do not create these spaces for ourselves to participate and to be heard, no one will.

Young people seem to have to do more to get a seat at the table, especially young people from underrepresented regions. For most of our team it has meant sleepless nights, working long hours, and sacrificing our own resources to create a relatable Internet literacy course, build a Digital Rights Monopoly game, mentor youth in Internet Governance, travel to meetings, and organize youth IGFs and national IGFs. Digital Grassroots has also recently raised a petition asking local and international Internet Governance bodies to include youth at the table and we invite everyone to sign it.

The Web may not have been invented for a person like me, who did not start out life as a digital native regardless of the era. Policymakers may brush someone like me aside because I don’t fit the market group and seem to have little influence. This is an oversight.

Youth have the power and skill to reinvent and shape an open and healthy Internet, if given the opportunity.

Regardless of attitudes towards young people, girls, and the underrepresented when it comes to participating in Internet issues, it will remain that the Internet is on our side; a neutral platform that embraces all equally.

We are inventing the Internet we want because our future depends on it.

With all the excitement about the role of technology in contributing to social change and improved development outcomes across Africa, it is easy to forget that only 11% of the world’s Internet subscribers are Africans, while only 35.2% of Africans use the Internet. An effective science and innovation system in any country, and globally, I […]

With all the excitement about the role of technology in contributing to social change and improved development outcomes across Africa, it is easy to forget that only 11% of the world’s Internet subscribers are Africans, while only 35.2% of Africans use the Internet. An effective science and innovation system in any country, and globally, I believe, depends on strong basic research and higher education infrastructure. In addition to knowledge production, basic research facilities, development of human resources, and applications are critical. But in the course of conducting, applying, and managing research, both researchers and managers of research and innovation have information needs. These needs must be satisfied in order for the scientists and the science innovation system to function effectively.

My recent participation at the 13th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Paris as a Youth@IGF Fellows brought me closer to the realization that technology has really increased the speed and reach of information everywhere – and now to communities in Africa.

Africa is leapfrogging information and communication technology development, which is also fueled by mobile broadband, but there are also worrying trends, such as a growing the digital divide between men and women, and between urban and rural areas.

While organizations need to address barriers around the digital divide, I also think if we champion a course for the combination of low and high-tech approaches to ensure that citizens are able to access critical information that can help improve their lives as well as contribute to our quest in connect the unconnected.

IGF2018 was a platform for many realizations. One of the key moments was embracing the fact that technology can enable critical information to reach marginalized communities at a rate and scale never before. What is left for digital ambassadors like me to do is to create more awareness on how this information can be used appropriately while encouraging organizations to integrate technology-driven approaches into their programs to maximize their impact. When doing so, however, it is important to think about how these approaches can be combined with low-tech methodologies, which are already known to be effective.

In terms of both numbers and reach, mobile telephony is the dominant form of telephony in developing countries in Africa. But we can also take a second look at the new, low-cost, emerging technology where increased utilization of TV white space (TVWS) can provide an opportunity to connect the world’s population. Google and Microsoft are already chasing the emerging white space market in Africa. Because the waves can travel up to 10 kilometers in radius, it is great for remote, off-the-grid villages.

Paris is beautiful and overall the 13th IGF was a great experience for me. The session on digital inclusion reignited my interest to do more for the continent. There were a few sessions that discussed issues in Africa. The desire to help my continent grow digitally is alive, hence what governments and international development organizations in Africa can also do is to enhance the public-private partnership in investment in ICT services and ICT-related infrastructure. I believe we also need more ICT schooling at all levels of education, especially in rural regions – and especially for girls, another initiative I will champion starting from home. It’s one of the issues that has been taken lightly but it needs refocusing.

While inadequate knowledge of English and weak ICT infrastructure topped as factors contributing to the digital divide in Africa, it is my hope to further create more awareness on the continent using my experience and knowledge, not forgetting the good connection built at IGF2018 to help reshape the continent while connecting the next billion.